Questions?

Button Pad 4x4 - LED Compatible

Description: This is a translucent silicon rubber button pad with 16 buttons originally inspired by the folks at monome.org. Each button has a hole underneath that accepts either a 3mm or 5mm standard LED. The idea is that you can create a button interface of your choice with the ability to display simple colors under each button. Mainly, we wanted to use our tri-color LEDs to create a full RGB color for each button.

16 button pad can be split up into four, 4 button pads. Each button has a conductive circle backing so that a switch can be created with exposed PCB traces. Button force is between 190 and 210grams activation force (nice tactile feel like on your TV remote).

This product is for the white rubber only. If you need the LEDs, PCB, or black bezel, please see below.

Customer Comments

Can this please be used in a kit? Like a 4x4 button pad complete? It would include the button pad, pcb, hardware, and the bezels, all for around $25. All the pieces separate make making the whole thing pretty pricey and I think that if it were sold as a kit for around $25, people would be able to do it. I’m sure you guys could sell 100 of them as to get the price break. With the 100 quantity price break price I would buy each piece, but since they aren’t at that price, I’m never going to buy these. Please put them into a kit?

Check this out!. It’s a tutorial about how to use the sparkfun PCB with Arduino and send MIDI. We have also developed a PCB (kind of Arduino shield). http://alvarorevuelta.net/midispositivomidi/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-NPSPzPXNo

My button pads came in the mail earlier. Very nice.
I was just drawing a face plate in cad based on the dimensional drawing and noticed that the measurements don’t add up:
Total width: 100mm
Total space per dimension: 28mm
Total buttons per dimension: 60mm
28 + 60 != 100
So, I got out a ruler and it turns out the space between buttons is incorrect on the drawing.
Button spacing: 5mm at edges and 10mm between buttons.

Fortunately, the dimensional drawings are correct you have just read them incorrectly. True, the space between buttons adds up as 4x7=28 and the size of the top of the buttons is 4x15=60 to total 88mm. However you didn’t look properly as you missed the slant at the edge of each button, 1.5mm per side. 2 per button and 4 buttons makes up your missing 12 mm.
Hope this Helps.

I’m sorry for the stupid question but I am very new to this building process. I am attempting to build a midi controller using this pad and a teensy++ 2, if anyone could give me ANY information on how I would go about putting this together. ( soldering, wiring, etc. anything is helpful )
Much appreciated

Is there a way to modify one or more of these (and bezels) to have a different number of columns besides multiples of 2/4? I need a 5x12 grid. I want to make a digital version of the boardgame Mastermind.

Anyone have any luck cleaning these? I’ve got a whole bunch, half new(work beautifully), half a few years old(I have to really jam and wiggle for them to make contact). Besides replacing them, can I do anything to help?

Unfortunately it isn’t. I have an old set, that I removed from a previous creation, then let sit out in the workroom for awhile before using again along with some new ones. The new ones work fine on all the pcbs, but the old ones look faded and don’t make contact.

Has anyone come up with a clever way to add legends to these buttons? I would like the printing right on the buttons (not above or below them). Also, when used with the PCB, is there any idea how long it will last? I suspect you don’t have any millions-of-operations figures, but anyone used one for years?

I haven’t tried this yet, but plan to put labels directly on the buttons by using clear background laser decal paper which allows you to make a decal out of whatever you can print. I’m hoping decal setting solution will bond the label so it doesn’t peel off after a few hundred presses. I’m also considering a clear casting resin overcoat which should work well as well as give the button a plastic feel but I’ll need to test this to see if the resin reacts with the decal or the rubber. I know this is 3 years after you asked the question. I just hope it’s not too late to help.

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